A Love to Span the Decades
by ShiverIntheLight
Summary: A cold hateful man. A warm uplifting girl, and the world that brought them together despite it all. See Blumiere's life as first love, pain, doubts, hardships, and betrayal play their part in his story. See how Blumiere's choices affect his life as he chooses Timpani over the life he had lived since he could remember, and how she shows him the way to true life. Beginning to revise.
1. Encounters Are Always Set In Motion

A Love to Span the Decades

**Disclaimer: I don't own any Mario characters. I own King Gaharkus only. **

Chapter Two: Pretense Fades

* * *

Blumiere dreamed that night of Timpani and her smile as she twirled about her yellow room. Her casual white dress's hem floated about her like a cloud in the sky. When he woke he felt a longing that screamed for him to return and talk to her again. _I can't see will kick me out of the castle and spit on my name._ He stood and went to his closet, dressing himself for the day. He looked in the mirror and sighed, seeing a disheveled frumpy young adult. Rarely did he look in the mirror, for he considered it vain and obtrusive if one obsessed over his or her appearance.

He left his room, still feeling the dream rushing through his veins. As he felt his body hit something he whirled around to apologize until he recognized the person.

"Good morning once again, my fair blue lord!" The jester curtsied, a smirk on his face. Blumiere strode past him to the Dining room, intent on getting breakfast. He had no desire to hear Dimentio's slick voice.

"Oh, now that's not genial of you to just breeze past me like a gusty blizzard," Dimentio whined and pursued him. The lord didn't turn around or slow his pace.

"Just go away. I have nothing to say to you," he said, clenching his fists, and then the jester chortled.

"Oh but you did have something to say, for you proved it when you told me to go away," he sing-songed and another hallway opened up to Blumiere's sight: the Dining room.

King Garharkus already sat at the table, a stoic look upon his face. The lord sat in the ornate chair on the other side of the table and watched as his father inhaled, exhaled, and ordered for another glass of water. The butler gave a bow and withdrew to the kitchen.

Father and son didn't speak as they ate and broke their fast. The jester hovered around the room, looking bored. It appeared he had eaten breakfast before Blumiere had awoken.

"Today I want you to listen to Dimentio. He will teach you how to conjure dark magic after we break our fast. I breached this topic to him yesterday after your blowup and he agrees as well as I that it's high time you unleash the power inside you. It will benefit us and you in particular."

Blumiere looked at Dimentio to see an elated but also triumphant grin on his face. It disgusted him once again and he turned back to his food so he wouldn't see the jester's face.

"Just think, Blumiere, the greatest master of dimensions in this world will train you. Doesn't that just brighten up your day?" Dimentio asked and Blumiere clenched his teeth, preventing himself from retorting.

No one spoke once breakfast ended and Lord Blumiere had to follow the joyful jester to his room. Dimentio's room, situated right next to the Dining room, looked spacious. Black and purple made up the colors of the wallpaper with some areas of white. Every dresser, colored a midnight black, had four yellow knobs. The yellow and white reminded Blumiere of Timpani and his heart stuttered a beat. _She's human! I feel nothing for her!_

"Anyone alive in there, lordling?" The jester snapped his fingers in front of Blumiere's face. The lord leaped back, startled from his thoughts.

"Ready to practice?" Dimentio asked and held up a wand. "Good. Here, take this staff and hold it straight."

Lord Blumiere huffed under his breath, doing as told. Light glimmered on the blue gem, making it sparkle just as Timpani's eyes had when they spoke. He shook her from his thoughts and tried to listen as Dimentio instructed, "Now, repeat this in your mind posthaste: ifashgranta!"

_Ifashgranta! _Lord Blumiere thought and waited for something to happen. Nothing did and he looked at the jester with a raised eyebrow. Dimentio scratched his black-haired head, eyes narrowed.

"Hm, try again!" he said and once more Blumiere lifted the wand with reluctance, the light from the window making it sparkle. Then the words Ifashgranta ran through his head again. Once more nothing happened. As if to ridicule the session a raven cawed from outside, mocking and picking fun at Blumiere and Dimentio.

"Again!" the jester said and this time the lord of the Tribe of Darkness felt anger. Why continue to try something that's useless? Nonetheless Blumiere repeated the word in his head and felt a buildup occur in him. The gem glowed and a nimbus of purple matter shot into the wall behind Dimentio, leaving a small hole in its wake.

"Ah, third time's a charm! Yes, that's how it's done. However your power seems weak. You wouldn't stand a chance against me, lordling of blue gloom," the jester said with a chortle. Blumiere, still seething, shot the magic this time at Dimentio, who leaped back in time, landing on his feet with grace.

"Whoa now! Don't jump to conclusions, my ever learning pupil. Let it take its course. Practice this new skill over and over, Blumiere. Let the magic consume your will and emotions."

Lord Blumiere groaned, sending Dimentio a suffering look. He knew he had no choice but to practice the magic. Dimentio's smile grew ever wider and more gleeful at each successful blast of purple magic. Fourteen holes glared from the wall when the jester called for Blumiere to stop.

"A wonderful time I had with you, Blumiere. Now that's enough for today. I wish not to have my room concave on me while I sleep. Now scoot! Leave me. I have business to attend to and teachers always need time. They have none of it." Dimentio shooed him out of the room with a hand wave. Blumiere threw the wand on the floor in relief, walking out of the room_._

* * *

"Blumiere, for your next task you have to clean the rubble from yesterday when you bumped into the pillar. Go do it," King Gaharkus said once his son came into sight. Blumiere held back a groan and went to heed the command. He didn't want to enrage his father today.

_He keeps blaming me for everything that happens. What am I, his damn servant?! Dimentio gets better treatment than I do, _Blumiere thought as a maid handed him the cleanup bag.

"Dispose the rubble by the Ritual area in a respectful manner. The elders would appreciate it," the maid said and now the lord fumed with rage. _Even the servants order me around! What's this madness?!_ He knew he felt childish by having a sheer dislike to having people lower than him order him. Blumiere just wanted people to respect him. Turning nineteen sure hadn't helped mature him. He still felt the same.

He got to work once he entered the Main Hall, seeing the broken pillar on the ground and the dust caking the tiles. Heaving a sigh he tried to pick up the heavy slabs of broken concrete and rock in a quick fashion. Silence reigned from the dark forest and it entered the castle. Somehow the emptiness of the air today chilled Blumiere.

Once every piece of rubble weighed in the bag he left the castle, heading to the Ritual area. The clouds still covered the sky, ominous and unforgiving. Blumiere thought about how the sun shone in the Tribe of the Ancients' world, free from all restraint.

Again he forced the memory from his head and soon his aunts' mansion came in his view. He knew his aunts wouldn't bust out of the mansion as they had done so yesterday. They all did their own jobs in the mansion during this hour. Blumiere felt grateful for that. He didn't want to deal with hairspray and ecstatic women.

The area reminded the lord of how Dimentio annoyed him, causing him to fall off a cliff. It enraged Blumiere anew and he thought of one day strangling the jester with his bare hands. _He has no respect for the customs my father set or for me._

One of the elders already paced about the fire, as if in pensiveness. His wrinkled hands clasped behind him on his hunching back.

"Ah, Lord Blumiere!" The elder flinched, noticing him, then bowed. "What brings you here?"

"A pillar collapsed in the Main Hall and King Gaharkus ordered me to bring it here for you," Blumiere said, giving the bag to the elder. He took it and inspected its weight.

"Yes, this'll be perfect to make coal from for the next fire lighting. You've done well to bring this to me, Lord Blumiere. The dark god above favors you for this deed," the elder said with a grin on his face.

_Of course the dark god above favors me. Especially since I've stepped in the Tribe of Ancients' territory and spoke with a human girl, _Lord Blumiere thought as he turned around, rolling his eyes.

For the next few days Blumiere skirted his father as much as he could and tried to avoid angering him. However it seemed as though one thing or another enraged his father and one morning Blumiere woke up to see a bruise on the lower area of his throat from an incident that happened yesterday. He touched it and winced, feeling pain blossom throughout his whole neck. Not even Dimentio and his teachings of magic quelled the realization that his father abhorred his son. _And if he found out Timapni took me into the Tribe of Ancients' territory..._

In those few days Timpani entered his dreams with the warm sunlight that begged for him to stay and renew. Sometimes he even considered going back to Timpani and speaking to her again. Something happened to him, he knew it as much. However he didn't know what happened to make him want to speak to a human.t

After eating breakfast that morning, his throat clenching with each swallow he made, Blumiere looked outside and saw with a flinch that the clouds looked thin. The sun tried and failed to shine through them. _Almost as if the solar body's reaching for me. I can't take this anymore. These feelings of wanting to know Timpani and how the sun feels upon my wan face have invaded my mind. I must see her again and ask her why I'm feeling this way before I become mad._

Blumiere left the castle, the cold wind ruffling his robes. The lord told the maids and butlers that if his father wished to see him they had to tell him he went on a walk in the forest.

The wind whipped, its biting chill warning Lord Blumiere that soon Autumn time would come upon the Tribe of Darkness. And that meant the annual rituals for the dark gods.

The lord walked with purpose, heading down the hill beyond the Ritual area. The darkness faded as the grass turned from the dark green to a lighter hue. He saws the clouds start to part, the sun shining true, free of the suffocation.

_What a difference walking makes, _he thought as he saw the Tribe of Ancients' city looming closer. Sucking up all his bravery and purpose Blumiere walked faster. Soon the houses of the city surrounded him, their bright colors and vibrant tones overwhelming him. The busybody people bustled about the streets, a few of them stopped in the middle of the dirt road to chat to friends, eyes bright and inquisitive.

Learning his lesson from the last time Blumiere stuck to the shadows, stopping at times if people came close. The sun beat down on him, that feeling of wanting to stop and experience it running through his mind. He didn't stop.

Then he realized that he knew the direction of Timpani's house. It irked him as to how he could remember such a minuscule detail like that. At least he wouldn't wander through the Tribe of Ancients' city like a fool. Though it still seemed strange to him.

Soon Blumiere saw the house and chills ran through him. He knew he reached his destination. A grand white house with a wrap around porch entered his vision. However the lord felt no fear, no shame, to come closer.

Lord Blumiere looked and found the window he had escaped from last time. Tingles entered him as memories came to his mind. He hoped he wouldn't do such a thing again. A slight of bashfulness came over him as he went over to the window and knocked on it once, twice.

The curtains parted and Blumiere could see Timpani look out at him, her brilliant eyes narrowed. Then she gasped and opened the window, recognizing him. "Blumiere! Why did you come back here?"

"I…" Blumiere felt at lost for words at that moment, not finding a true reason. He assumed that Timpani had just woken. Her hair, all askew, and a red sleeping line on her left cheek cued him in. Her eyes still shone with the brightness of life despite her awakening.

"Blumiere? What happened? Did someone hurt you?" Her gaze went to his throat.

_She's very perceptive and quick to notice little things, __ Blumiere_ thought and he shook his head.

"No, I'm here because I need to find out more about you." He looked in her eyes, unblinking. "Something about you just sets my mind wondering on how you're different from me. It makes me want to understand. I had to come here before I grew mad with holding everything inside me."

"I've thought about you as well, wondering if you felt well since your fall."

"Human—I mean Timpani—where's there a place I can speak with you in private?" he asked and she cocked her pretty head. No source of suspicion or mistrust came into her eyes. She trusted him already. It made Blumiere feel surprised.

"I know just the place. There's a meadow outside the city. We can go there. Wait right outside, I'll be right back." Timpani's lips made a warm smile. She whirled from the window, the curtain fluttering at the winds of her passing.

He waited, knowing somehow that she wouldn't take long. Timpani emerged into his sight again, wearing a white sundress. She climbed out the window to join him, her dress rustling with the movement. Blumiere felt drawn to stare at the color.

"Come along." Timpani beckoned with a finger, rupturing him from his thoughts. The two of them set off, sticking to walk behind the houses.

"You're a human and yet you don't feel repelled by the sight of me. Why, Timpani? Most others would scream and chase me, intent on killing me," Lord Blumiere asked as they walked.

She turned to him. "I'm just unafraid. I still feel grateful to the Light God above that I had come to the cliff when you fell from the sky that day."

They fell silent until the meadow came into sight and Blumiere felt desperate to take it all in and remember it. His eyes flickered about, his rational mind fading. The sun shone down and it seemed as through the whole place sparkled with life. The drone of insects and the chirping of birds became evident as they walked. The grassy fronds brushed past him, as if beckoning him to continue and relish life's beauty. The meadow, unlike anything he had ever seen before, made his heart began to beat. His hard heart had to relent that it indeed looked beautiful.

"Do you see that tree right there? That's the tree my mother planted thirty years before she birthed me, or so my beloved father tells me. I sometimes feel as though she lives in the tree still, watching over me whenever I come here." Timpani pointed and Blumiere looked to see a tall tree, which he knew was an oak. He saw the flicker in the human girl's eyes and knew that her mother had died.

"I don't believe your mother would approve of this outing between you and me," he said as they neared the tree. Timpani sat, back leaning against the trunk, beckoning he do the same.

"My mother's fine with whatever makes me happy."

A vague tone in her uplifting voice made Blumiere think, _What makes her happy?_

He found that the grass felt comfortable to sit on and that strange emotion of peace took him again. The tree above rustled as the wind picked up, deciding to act playful and rustle his and Timpani's clothes.

"So what did you want to talk about?" she asked and Blumiere felt startled as he remembered that his reason for coming to see her today. He wanted to find out more about her. He looked at Timpani, seeing the sun's illuminant rays in her hair, seeing the question in her eyes as their gazes locked.

"I must know more about you. Of why you're so different from the others I've seen," he said and something flashed in her eyes: concern.

"Others in my tribe saw you," she said, although it wasn't a question. Worry made her tone drop and the lord nodded.

"Yes. They saw me and screamed. They looked frightened of me, Timpani. I'm glad I escaped when I did."

"Did they cause that wound on your throat?" Anger made her voice waver and Blumiere wondered why she felt concerned about him.

"No, I had tripped and fallen over a broken pillar in my home yesterday." The lie whipped out of his mouth before he could call it back. The wind circled around again but it wasn't the sharp wind back in the dark forest. It felt light and full of joy and acceptance. A wind that felt warm and had the lightest of intentions.

You shouldn't be so clumsy," Timpani teased, a smile on her face, and Lord Blumire felt a mirror image of her smile appear on his face as well. To smile made everything in him fade away except for the moment between them. He looked in her eyes and found a place in them. The wind broke the moment, mussing with their hair and clothes. _This cannot happen! _his mind screamed. _You should go home and never speak to this human again._

"Timpani? What do you do? What's your lifestyle?" Those two questions came out in a flurry and Timpani smiled.

"I'm a simple girl living with her father. We Ancients may seem like royal descent but we're not. Ever since my mother died all my family's fortunes passed away as well, making us strive to work in the middle class. I've lived in this city for as long as I can remember and I never want to leave it. I take outings to this meadow and other places. I love nature and everything about it. What about you, Blumiere? What do you do?"

"I'm a lord of the Tribe of Darkness, next in line to my throne." Here he sounded bitter. "To sit here in the light, out of the darkness, feels like such a contrast. I still don't understand what draws me to this place." _And draws me to you. _Blumiere held those words back, feeling his palms sweat.

"Is your life really so different?" she asked and the lord felt his guard break, hearing the lovely innocence and curiosity in her voice. He felt helpless by it.

"What's happiness, Timpani?" he asked instead, the question blurting from him. Timpani's smile didn't fade, her eyes glimmering.

"My father told me that happiness comes when the heart feels complete and wants to give itself to others," she said, her voice softening. Lord Blumiere looked into her eyes, seeing that she had conviction of what her father said.

"I want to find this so-called happiness. Can you show me how to get it?"

"I will, Blumiere. I will." A secret look entered her eyes at this that perplexed the lord.

"Does everyone in the Tribe of Ancients feel happy?"

"Most do." She nodded in confirmation. "Most people feel happy. Though a few grumps do live in the city. We tend to avoid them, though, lest it affects all of us."

"But why do you all feel happy here? Doesn't the light feel too blinding?"

"You think the light is too much? You're from a world where darkness shrouds everything, right?" Timpani said, a sudden grimace dimming the light in her eyes.

Then, when Lord Blumiere didn't respond, she prodded him further, "Doesn't the dark feel too suffocating?"

His lips parted somewhat as he tried to come up with something to say, anything to try to defend the life he lived. However he found he couldn't say anything except, "You wouldn't understand, Timpani. You're a human. A living thing that shuns the dark and lives in constant incessant light."

If the burr in his words affected her Timpani gave no such evidence it had done so. Instead she said, "And you wouldn't understand my world either, Blumiere. You're a Dark Tribe member, one who loathes the light and basks in shadows. We members of the Ancient Tribe need darkness to sleep and light to see.

"You have eternal darkness, while we Ancients have both to keep the balance," she continued when he didn't reply. He felt contrite for working her up, regardless if she looked apathetic, even calm, about it. Timpani's words did make sense in a way to the lord. Blumiere found that the thought of the forest he lived in would change forever if light ever pierced through the clouds. However, another thought, another feeling in him, told him that at some point back in the past light did shine in the dark forest.

"Do you feel all right, Blumiere?" Her words jolted him back to the present and he blinked, shaking himself.

"Yes. I started to think on what you said."

"Oh okay."

"Timpani?" He turned to her and she looked back at him. Her long blonde hair brushed against her face as the wind tousled it.

"Hm?"

"I want to understand your world. I want to know it and really see it," he said and these words made his stomach clench. Blumiere didn't know what seemed right or wrong anymore in this meadow. It made him loose and it softened his inhibitions. Nothing had ever made him feel this way.

"You're strange, Blumiere. To think a Dark Tribe member wants to know about the Tribe of the Ancients. None of them have ever said the words you have. Instead they fought with us and caused the rift between our races." A darkened look entered her lively green eyes.

"You saved me when I fell, disregarding the fact that I'm of the Tribe of Darkness."

"I guess that makes us even, then." She laughed and Blumiere felt stuck by the loveliness of it, the purity and heart in her voice. He had never heard such an uplifting sound and it made him blink.

"For a moment it looked as though you've never heard a person laugh before when I saw your expression," Timpani said and her voice grew soft. "But then again I don't know how you live your life. I don't know if any of the human traits we Ancients have here exist in your world."

"You feel sympathy for me," Blumiere said, his jaw clenching. He hated it when people pitied him. It brought him feelings of weakness.

"Not just for you, but for your whole race, Blumiere."

Now these words startled him and he went rigid. "Why?"

"I just want everyone to feel happy. That's my one true wish," she said, her voice so low he would've missed it if he hadn't focused on her.

They fell silent after that, watching the clouds move in the sky. The wind came sometimes, not ceasing in its playfulness A yawn exited the lord and he flinched. He knew he should head back home before his father blew a fuse. However he didn't fight it and his senses faded as he closed his eyes, soaking in everything as a child might. The wind rustled his blue hair and he felt the forbidden smile on his face widen.

* * *

Blumiere's eyes jolted open to feel Timpani's warm body move away from him. She shot a cursory look around and trained her gaze back to his.

"Blumiere I don't think you should stay here any longer. Your kind may start looking for you." A reluctant tone came in her voice.

Lord Blumiere felt all the light feelings in him rush out, the darkness lodging itself back in its rightful place. He remembered how his father threw him into the pillar and grabbed him by the neck due to a prolonged absence. One that involved meeting Timpani for the first time.

"I want to stay." The words sounded so soft that Blumiere wasn't sure if he had said them at all. However the smile on Timpani's face indicated that she had indeed heard and she knew. Her golden hair floated in the wind as she stood, the lord following suit.

"Tomorrow night, let's meet here, Timpani. It's too dangerous for us to continue to meet in the day," he said and she nodded.

"Then I'll wait for you. I find you interesting, Blumiere. I want to find out more about you as well."

"Goodbye then, till tomorrow," he said, feeling reluctant as well. However he knew he had to leave. It scared him, all these new feelings.

He felt himself sulk the whole way back to his gloomy castle, feeling the familiar grimace settle on his lips. He knew he shouldn't have done all that he had today and yet...and yet he just couldn't find the incentive to try to fight it anymore. Blumiere felt curious and he had enough of feeling ignorant and full of hatred. He wanted to find out what life truly meant and what part happiness played in it.


	2. Pretense Fades

Chapter Two: Pretense Fades

* * *

Blumiere dreamed that night of Timpani and her smile as she twirled about her yellow room, her casual white dress's hem floating about her like a cloud in the sky. When he woke up he found a longing in him that screamed for him to return to her and talk to her again. _I can't…my father will kick me out of the castle and spit on my name, _he argued mentally with his mind before getting up and dressed for the day. He looked at himself in the mirror; rarely he did so, for it was considered vain and obtrusive if one was called out on it.

He left his room, still feeling the dream rushing through his veins, until he bumped into Dimentio again.

"Good morning once again, my fair blue lord!" The jester curtsied, a smirk on his face, and Lord Blumiere strode past him to the dining room, intent on getting breakfast.

"Oh, now that isn't genial of you to just breeze past me like a gusty blizzard in the cold regions," Dimentio whined and pursued him, but Blumiere didn't turn around or slow his pace.

"Just go away; I have nothing to say to you," the lord said, clenching his fists, and then the jester chortled.

"Oh, but you did have something to say, for you proved it when you told me to go away," Dimentio sing-songed and soon another hallway opened up to Blumiere's sight, the dining room in view.

King Garharkus was already seated, a stoic look upon his face as he saw his son enter the room. The lord sat in the ornate chair on the other side of the table and watched as his father inhaled, exhaled, and ordered for another glass of water.

Nothing was said between father and son as they ate and broke their fast. The jester hovered around the room, looking bored; it appeared that he had eaten breakfast before Blumiere had awakened.

"Today I want you to listen closely to Dimentio as he teaches you dark magic after we break our fast. I have breached this topic to him yesterday after your blowup and he agrees as well as I that it is high time you unleash the power inside you. It can only benefit us and you especially."

Lord Blumiere looked at Dimentio to see an elated but also triumphant grin on his face. It disgusted him once again and he turned back to his food so he wouldn't see the jester's face.

"Just think, oh new lord of blue, you will be training under the greatest master of dimensions in all of the world. Doesn't that just brighten up your day?" Dimentio asked and Blumiere grounded his teeth together, preventing himself from retorting.

Nothing else was said once breakfast was over and Lord Blumiere had to follow the joyful jester to his room, which was spacious enough to practice.

Dimentio's room was right next to the Dining room, which explained how quickly he had eaten. It was a black and purple room with some areas of white and every dresser was a midnight black color with yellow knobs. The yellow and white reminded Blumiere of Timpani and his chest suddenly ached. _She is a human! I care for nothing about her! _

"Anyone alive in there, lordling?" The jester was snapping his fingers in front of Blumiere's face and the lord leaped back, startled out of his thoughts.

"Ready to practice?" Dimentio asked and held up a wand. "Good. Here, take this staff and hold it straight."

Lord Blumiere huffed under his breath, doing as was told. The light glimmered on the blue gem, making it sparkle just as Timpani's eyes had when they spoke. He shook her out of his thoughts and tried desperately to listen as Dimentio instructed, "Now, repeat this in your mind posthaste: ifashgranta!"

_Ifashgranta! _Lord Blumiere thought and then he waited for something to happen. Nothing did and he looked at the jester with a raised eyebrow, whom was scratching his black-haired head in bemusement.

"Try again!" Dimentio said and once more Blumiere reluctantly lifted the wand, the light from the window making it sparkle. Then the words Ifashgranta ran through his head again. Once more nothing happened and a raven cawed outside, as if mocking and picking fun at the session going on inside the room.

"Again!" the jester crowed and this time the lord of the Tribe of Darkness felt anger at being told to do something that was useless. Nonetheless, he repeated the word in his head and felt a buildup occur in him. The gem glowed and a nimbus of purple matter shot into the wall behind Dimentio, leaving a small hole in its wake.

"Ah, third time is a charm! Yes, that is how it's done. However your power is very weak. You wouldn't stand a chance against me, lordling of blue gloom," the jester chortled and Blumiere shot the magic this time into Dimentio, who leaped back in time, landing gracefully on his feet with a smirk.

"Whoa now! Don't jump to conclusions, my ever learning pupil. Let it take its course. Practice this new skill over and over; let the magic consume your will and emotions."

Lord Blumiere groaned, sending Dimentio a suffering look, and practiced the magic, seeing the jester's smile grow ever wider and more gleeful at each successful blast of purple magi was released. Fourteen holes were in the wall when the jester called for Blumiere to stop.

"A wonderful time I had with you, my lordling. Now that shall be enough for today. I wish not to have my room concave on me while I sleep. Now scoot! Leave me be. I have business to attend to and teachers always need time; they have none of it." Dimentio shooed him out of the room and Lord Blumiere threw the wand on the floor in relief, walking out of the room, feeling bored. _Such is the way of being in a place such as my father's castle._

* * *

"Blumiere, your next task is to clean up the rubble from yesterday when you bumped into that pillar. Go do it," King Gaharkus said once Lord Blumiere came into his sight and his son held back a groan of exasperation before going off to heed the command.

_He keeps blaming me for everything that has happened. What am I, his damn servant?! Dimentio gets better treatment than I ever do, _Blumiere thought as a maid handed him the cleanup bag.

"Dispose of the rubble by the Ritual area in a respectful manner. The elders would appreciate it highly," the maid said and now the lord was fuming with rage.

_Even the servants order me around! What mutiny is this?! _

He got to work once he entered the Main Hall, seeing the broken pillar on the ground, dust caking the tiles. Heaving a sigh he bent over and tried to pick up the heavy slabs of cracked and broken concrete and rock in a quick fashion. There was no wind today outside in the dark forest; an eerie silence stole over the castle and somehow it chilled Blumiere.

Once every piece of rubble was in the bag he left the castle, heading to the mansion. The clouds still covered the sky, ominous and unforgiving, and Blumiere thought about how freely the sun shone in the Tribe of the Ancients.

Again, he forced the memory out of his head and soon his aunts' mansion came in his view. He knew the ladies wouldn't bust out of the mansion as they had done so yesterday. They were all stuck doing their own jobs in the mansion. The lord of the Tribe of Darkness was grateful for that; he didn't want to deal with hairspray and overly ecstatic women, and swerved away on the path, heading to the Ritual area.

The area reminded him of how Dimentio set him off, causing him to storm off and fall off a cliff. It enraged Blumiere anew and he thought of one day strangling the jester with his bare hands. _He has no respect for the customs my father set or for me..._

One of the elders was already pacing about the fire, as if in pensiveness, hands clasped behind him on his hunching back.

"Ah, Lord Blumiere!" The elder flinched, noticing him, then bowed. "What brings you here?"

"A pillar collapsed in the Main Hall and I was ordered to pick it up and bring it here for you," Blumiere said, giving the bag to the elder, whom took it whilst inspecting its weight.

"Yes, this will be perfect to make coal for the next fire lighting. You have done well to bring this to me, Lord Blumiere. The dark god above certainly favors you," the elder said with a grin on his face.

_Of course the dark god above favors me. Especially since I have been in the Tribe of Ancients' territory and spoke with a human girl, _Lord Blumiere thought, rolling his eyes as he walked away from the Ritual area, heading back to the castle.

For the next few days Lord Blumiere skirted his father as much as he could and tried to avoid angering him. However it seemed as though it was one thing or another that enraged his father and one morning Blumiere woke up to see a bruise on the lower area of his throat from an incident that happened yesterday. He touched it and winced, feeling pain blossom throughout his whole throat. Not even Dimentio and his teachings of magic quelled the realization that his father abhorred his son. _And if he was to know I had truly been in the Tribe of Ancients when I had been absent that time... _

In those few days all Lord Blumiere dreamed of was Timpani, or the warm sunshine that had begged for him to stay and renew in the light. Something was happening to him; he knew it as much. However he didn't know what was happening, to an extent.

After carefully eating breakfast that morning his throat clenching with each swallow he made, Blumiere looked outside and saw with a flinch that the clouds looked thin, the sun trying and failing to shine through them. _Almost as if the solar body is reaching for me... That's it…I can't take this anymore! These feelings of wanting to know Timpani and how the sun feels upon my wan face…. I must see her again and ask her why I am feeling this way before I become mad._

Blumiere son found himself leaving the castle, telling the maids that if his father wished to see him they were to tell him he was on a walk in the forest. However, he wasn't aware of a shape following behind him, watching his every move.

The wind whipped about, its biting chill warning Lord Blumiere that it would soon be Autumn time. The lord walked briskly and with purpose, heading down the hill beyond the Ritual area, seeing the clouds reluctantly start to part, the sun shining true, free of the suffocation.

_What a difference walking makes, _he thought as he saw the Tribe of Ancients' city looming closer. Sucking up all his bravery and purpose he walked faster and soon the houses of the city were surrounding him. The people were bustling about the streets as they had the last time, a few of them stopped in the middle of the dirt road to chat, eyes bright and inquisitive, expressions lively.

Learning his lesson from the last time, Blumiere stuck to the shadows, stopping every now and then if people were nearby, waiting for them to walk off before continuing on his path. The sun beat down on him, that feeling of wanting to stop and experience it running through his mind. He didn't stop.

Then he realized that he knew where he was going; the lord of the Tribe of Darkness assumed that he simply remembered where Timpani's house was. Though it still was strange...

Soon Blumiere saw it and felt chills running through him; it was a grand white house with a wrap around porch and two floors high. He knew this was the house, and yet he felt no fear, no shame at this moment to come closer.

Lord Blumiere looked and found the window he had escaped from last time, since it was somewhat larger than the others and it was the closest to the ground. Feeling a slight bit of bashfulness, he went over to the window and knocked on it once, twice.

The curtains parted and Lord Blumiere could see Timpani looking out at him, her eyes narrowed. Then she gasped and opened the window, recognizing him. "Blumiere! What are you doing back here?"

"I…" Lord Blumiere was at lost for words at that moment, not coming up with a true reason. He assumed that Timpani had been sleeping, for her hair was all askew and there was a red sleeping line on her left cheek. Her eyes still shone brightly and they weren't offset by the bleary glaze of sleep that was common when a person is rudely awoken.

"Blumiere? Is there something wrong? Are you hurt?" Her gaze was at his throat. _She is very perceptive and quick to notice little things, _he thought, then he shook his head.

"No, I am here because I need to find out…more about you. Something about you just sets my mind wondering on how you are different. It makes me want to understand..."

"Same for me as well, Blumiere. I have been thinking about you as well, wondering if you are well since your fall."

"Human...I mean Timpani. Is there a place I can speak with you in private?" he asked and then she cocked her pretty head, thinking.

"I know just the place. There is a meadow outside the city; we can go there. Wait right outside, I'll be right back." Timpani smiled, then whirled away from the window, the curtain fluttering at the winds of her passing.

He waited, knowing somehow that she wasn't going to take long, and once she emerged into his sight again she hastily climbed out the window to join him.

"Come along." Timpani beckoned with a finger, then they set off quietly, sticking to walk behind the houses.

"You are human, and yet you are not repelled by the sight of me. Why is that, Timpani? Most others would scream and chase me, intent on killing me," Lord Blumiere asked as they walked and she turned to him.

"I am just unafraid. I helped you and I am still grateful to the light god above that I was there when you made impact with the ground that day."

They were silent until the meadow came into sight and Lord Blumiere seemed to be hungry to take it all in and remember it. The sun shone down and it seemed as through the whole place sparkled with life. The drone of insects and the chirping of birds was evident as they walked. The grassy fronds brushed past him gently, as if beckoning him to continue and relish it all. It was unlike anything he had ever sen before and as his hard heart had to relent, it was indeed a beautiful place.

"Do you see that tree right there? That is the tree that my mother planted thirty years before I was born, or so my beloved father tells me. I sometimes feel as though her spirit is in the tree, watching over me whenever I come here." Timpani pointed and Blumiere looked to see a tall tree, which he knew was called an Oak. He saw the flicker in the human girl's eyes and knew that her mother was dead.

"I don't believe your mother would approve of this outing between you and I," he said as they neared the tree. Timpani sat, back leaning against the trunk, beckoning he do the same, then saying, "My mother is fine with whatever makes me happy." There was a slight vague tone in her uplifting voice and this set Blumiere to think, _What makes her happy?_

He found that the grass was comfortable to sit on and that strange emotion of peace took him again. The tree above rustled as the wind picked up, deciding to be playful and rustle his and Timpani's clothes.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" she asked and Blumiere felt startled as he remembered that his reason for coming to see her today was to find out more about her. He looked at her, seeing the sun's illuminant rays in her hair, seeing the question in her eyes as their gazes locked.

"I must know more of you. Of why you are so different than others I have seen," he said and then something flashed in her eyes, concern.

"You…were caught by the others in my tribe," she said, although it wasn't a question. Worry made her tone drop and the lord shook his head.

"No…they saw me and screamed. They were frightened of me, Timpani, and I am glad I was able to escape."

"Was that wound on your throat cause by them?" Anger made her voice waver as she spoke and Lord Blumiere began to wonder why she was so concerned.

"No…I had tripped and fallen over a broken pillar in my home yesterday." The lie whipped out of his mouth before he could call it back. The wind circled around again but it wasn't the sharp, screaming wind back in the dark forest. It was a light wind, one full of joy and acceptance, one that was warm and only had the lightest of intentions.

You shouldn't be so clumsy," Timpani teased, a smile on her face, and Lord Blumire felt a mirror image of her smile appear on his face as well. To smile…made everything in him fade away, only the moment between them was evident in his senses. He looked into her eyes, and found a place instantly in them. The only thing that broke the moment was the wind, which mussed with their hair and clothes. _This cannot be! _his mind screamed at him. _You would be wise to go home and never speak to this human again._

"Timpani, who are you? What do you do?" Those two questions came out in a flurry and she smiled, as if happy to have been asked.

"I am a simple girl living with her father. We Ancients may seem to be of royal descent but we are not. Ever since my mother died all our fortunes passed away as well…making us strive to work in middle class. I have lived in this city for as long as I can remember and I never want to leave it...ever. What about you, Blumiere?"

"I am a lord of the Tribe of Darkness…next in line to my throne. To be here in the light...out of the darkness is a sudden contrast to how my life is. I still don't understand what draws me to this place." _And draws me to you. _Blumiere held those words back, feeling his palms sweat as the realization hit him.

"Is it really so different?" she asked and the lord felt his guard break, hearing the lovely innocence and curiosity in her voice

"What is happiness, Timpani?" he queried instead and Timpani slowly smiled, her eyes glimmering.

"My father told me that happiness is when the heart feels complete and wants to give itself to others," she said, her voice soft. Lord Blumiere looked into her eyes, seeing that she had conviction of what her father said.

"I want to find this so called…happiness. Can you show me how to acquire it?"

"I will, Blumiere. I will." She smiled.

"Tell me more...I wish to know. Is everyone in the Tribe of Ancients happy?" He felt the need to ask.

"Most are." She nodded in confirmation. "Most people are happy. Though there are a few grumps living in the city and we tend to avoid them, lest it affects all of us."

"But...why are you all happy here? Isn't the light too...blinding?"

"Are you saying that you think the light is too much? You are from a world where darkness is the main key," Timpani grimaced, as if she just remembered that they lived on different sides.

Then, when Lord Blumiere didn't respond she prodded him further. "Isn't the dark too suffocating?"

His lips parted somewhat as he tried to come up with something to say, anything to try and defend the life he lived. However he found he couldn't say anything except, "You wouldn't understand...you are a human. A living thing that shuns the dark and lives in constant incessant light."

If the burr in his words affected her Timpani made no such evidence it had done so. Instead she countered, "And you wouldn't understand my world either...you are a Dark Tribe member, one who loathes the light and basks in shadows. We members of the Ancient Tribe need darkness to sleep and light to see, right?"

"You only have darkness, while we here have both to keep the balance," she continued when he didn't reply. He felt contrite for working her up, even if she was being apathetic about it. However, her words did make sense in a way. Blumiere found that the thought of the forest he lived in ever being sent the rays of life in the past was impossible. But another thought, another feeling in him, told him that at some point back in the past...that wasn't the case.

"Are you all right?" Her words jolted him back to the present and he blinked, shaking himself.

"Yes. I was just thinking...on what you said."

"Oh...okay."

"Timpani?" He turned to her and she looked back at him, long straight hair brushing against her face as the wind tousled it.

"Hm?"

"I want to understand your world. I want to know it and really see it," he said and his words made his stomach clench. Blumiere didn't know what was right or wrong anymore in this meadow. It made him loose and it softened his inhibitions; nothing had ever made him feel this way.

"You are strange, Blumiere. To think a Dark Tribe member wants to know about the Tribe of the Ancients. None of them have ever said the words you have. Instead they fight with us and caused the rift between our races." A darkened look was in her lively green eyes.

"However, you saved me when I had fallen...notwithstanding the fact that I am of the Dark Tribe."

"I guess then that makes us even." She laughed then and Blumiere was stuck by the loveliness of it, the purity and heart in her voice. He had never heard such an uplifting sound and it made him blink.

"For a moment, I felt that you have never heard a person laugh before when I saw your expression," Timpani said, then her voice grew soft. "But then again, I don't know how you live your world. I don't even know if any of the human traits we Ancients have here ever exist where you live."

"You feel sympathy for me," Blumiere said and then his jaw set. He hated being the one everyone pitied; it made him feel weak.

"Not just for you...but for your whole race, Blumiere."

Now these words startled him and he went rigid. "Why?"

"I just want...everyone to be happy. That is my one true wish," she said, her voice so low he would have missed it if his senses weren't focused on her.

They were silent after that, watching the clouds move in the sky, feeling the wind come every now and then, and looking off in the distance at white capped mountains. A yawn took over the lord of the Dark Tribe and he flinched However he didn't fight it and his senses faded as he closed his eyes, soaking in everything, as a child might. The wind rustled his blue hair and he felt the forbidden smile on his face widen.

* * *

Suddenly Blumiere's eyes jolted open to find that Timpani was moving away from him, shooting a cursory look around before training her gaze back on his.

"Blumiere…I wish not to keep you here. Your kind may start looking for you." A reluctant tone was in her voice and Lord Blumiere felt all the light feelings in him rush out, the darkness lodging itself back in its place. He remembered how his father thrust him into the pillar and grabbed him by the neck due to being absent for too long.

"I want to stay." The words were so soft that Blumiere wasn't sure if he had said them at all. However the smile on Timpani's face indicated that she had indeed heard and she knew. Her golden hair floated in the wind as she stood, the lord following suit.

"Tomorrow night, let's meet here, Timpani. It is too dangerous for us to continue to meet in the day," he said and she nodded.

"Then I will wait for you. I find you interesting, Blumiere. I want to find out more about you as well as you do for me."

"This is goodbye then, till tomorrow," he said, feeling reluctant as well, and then he made the long walk back to his gloomy castle, feeling the grimace settle back on his lips. He knew he shouldn't have done all that he had today ...and yet...and yet he just couldn't find the incentive to try and fight it anymore. Lord Blumiere was curious and he had enough of being ignorant and full of hatred. He wanted to find out what life truly meant and what part happiness played in it.


	3. The Tragedy is Soon Set in Motion

A Love to Span the Decades

**Disclaimer: "..."**

Chapter Three: The Tragedy Is Soon Set In Motion

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Lord Blumiere went to bed that night feeling restless. Timpani hadn't escaped his thoughts yet. The feel of the wind and sunshine still coursed through him and his nose still breathed in the warm and clean air of the meadow.

His father hadn't sought him out to abuse him or roar at him again so the lord figured the maids did their job well. _Better than that cur of a jester ever could in covering for me._

He closed his eyes and a dream swept him away of Timpani in the meadow. She smiled, her hair undulating in the soft wind. He came over to her, although he knew she couldn't see him or hear him. Seeing her again made Blumiere smile and feel peace. She remained in his sights.

"Timpani," he said.

She looked off into the distance where the dark forest lay. The oak tree seemed to sway with grace in the wind and the sun sent its rays down evermore. In the dream he felt he was closer to finding out what importance happiness had. The feeling faded in a burst as he opened his eyes to see gloomy incessant overcast clouds outside his window. He sighed.

Blumiere felt torn with his life and the one he began to understand in Timpani's world. The way the light didn't judge his choice to descend from the darkness made him think it was easy to transition and change. T_oo easy, _his mind cautioned and the lord sighed again, getting out of bed and raking his fingers through his blue hair.

After putting on his usual robes he remembered that he and Timpani planned to meet again later tonight in the meadow and felt a shiver. Feelings entered him in a burst and he let them overwhelm him, his mind on high.

For the rest of the day Timpani stayed in his thoughts, even when he took dark magic lessons with Dimentio. The jester seemed confused as to why the magic didn't work anymore as it had in the last few sessions. Nothing stopped Blumiere from thinking of the radiant human or the meadow they sat in side by side.

"There's something occupying your mind, Blumiere. I want to know what it is," King Gaharkus said as he saw his son's preoccupied expression.

The Lord of the Tribe of Darkness felt his stomach flip. _I can't tell him that I'm speaking to and taking outings with a human from the Tribe of Ancients. I can't tell him about Timpani or else everything we're doing will get destroyed._

"The thought about what I'll need to do once I'm king troubles me. Since I'm now close to adulthood I'll need to think about the transition to becoming king, " Blumiere said, hoping the lie seemed viscous enough.

His father narrowed his eyes. "What's there to think about? You won't become king for a long time, not as long as I still live. You're just a child at best. At worst you're an irresponsible one. You don't deserve my throne, Blumiere."

This made Blumiere feel a spark of anger.

"I have every right to inherit your throne. I was born under you and I'm your son!" he said. "You can't always push me to the side because you think I can't do anything right. Why don't you ever give me the chances I need, father?"

King Gaharkus made a fist then threw his half-eaten plate of food against the wall. The sound of the shattering impact reverberated through the room. Silence reigned. Father and son looked at each other, a brimming of anger in Blumiere's and incessant rage in King Gaharkus's.

"I heard a smash, such like the sound of an ant that a child's toe had squished. What happened?" Dimentio strode into the room. He paused as he saw the hostility between father and son.

"Leave Dimentio. I have no time for your squabbles now." Blumiere's father threw the jester a dark look and Dimentio dipped his head.

"Anything to please you, my liege. I'm happy to oblige. I shall leave posthaste." He sent a smirk at Blumiere and left the room.

"You're just one disappointment after another, Blumiere. I don't even know if you're my true son. Maybe I had married a low-born harlot to make you. A true son of royalty would not disobey and enrage me. He would do every duty assigned to him in the right way every time." King Gaharkus stood from his chair and leered at Blumiere. "When Dimentio told me of your disappearance three days ago I figured you were up to no good as usual. He explained that you had stormed off from him and fell down a cliff. Tell me what really happened and if you lie you better pray for forgiveness from the gods. I will not grant you any."

"It's true what Dimentio said, father. He annoyed me and I felt fed up with him to the point where I couldn't take it and just left him there. I didn't realize that I had walked off the promontory until I fell."

"Indeed. Explain how you survived a fall as such." His father's eyes looked as hard as flints. Blumiere knew he had to be careful with what he said in reply. _One wrong word said..._

"The ground didn't look far from the top of the cliff, Father However, when I fell, my head hit the ground and my vision faded. When I opened my eyes I couldn't move. I felt nauseous just trying to get on my feet. I closed my eyes again to relieve the feelings and blacked out again.

"Once I woke I felt much better and could stand on my feet with no problem. I didn't realize three days had passed until Dimentio told me." Blumiere looked at his father, dreading his reaction to the lies.

"I don't want you to leave this castle ever again, you hear me, Blumiere? If you're going to fall off promontories with your head in the clouds then I want you under my watch. I'll deploy Dimentio to watch over you when I can't," King Gaharkus said and Blumiere felt relieved. Then horror struck him as he realized Dimentio would watch every step he took without fail. _I just hope he doesn't watch me while I sleep or I'll never get to meet with Timpani tonight._

* * *

Lord Blumiere had to steel himself from lashing out at Dimentio. The jester followed too close behind like a restless shadow. He could feel Dimentio's breath on his neck at odd times which made the lord feel disgust.

"Ah, don't feel full of gloom, my lordling of blue. Just think of me as your loyal pet who follows you around for food in your shadow." The jester let loose a chortle while he watched Blumiere do chores. It's moments like this that the lord wished that he had hit Dimentio with one of those blasts of purple magic from the staff when it worked.

That night the jester didn't follow Blumiere into his room and, with a simple "Ciao", left the lord alone. Blumiere felt grateful for that and a small smile pierced and wiped the frown he wore all day.

Once he felt sure his father and Dimentio had fallen asleep Blumiere gathered his wits and slipped out the window. He grunted as his legs took the brunt of the impact from the fall. The nearby pine tree would provide the way back into his room so he wouldn't have to risk entering the castle through the front doors.

Blumiere stole off in the night, his robes fluttering and snapping in the wind as he raced through the forest, breath huffing. The pine trees looked like wild black spirits in his peripheral vision as they zipped past him. The wind howled, as if enraged that Blumiere disobeyed orders to stay in the castle. However the lord didn't care anymore. Now since he met Timpani he knew he couldn't just forget about her.

He sighed once the forest lay behind him and he looked to see the clouds part and the moon show in the sky, its anatomy full. Blumiere continued to run, remembering the meadow's location.

Even at night the plain looked alive and the lord slowed his pace as he strode through the grassy sea. The meadow seemed to welcome him from the darkness. He walked to the oak tree under the bright star filled sky. The moon shone on the tree's leaves, making it stand out in contrast.

Blumiere remembered what Timpani had said about her world having a balance of both light and dark and now he understood what she meant. Here the people could tell when to wake and when to sleep and they could calculate time due to it. The Ancient Tribe members could also understand that life needed two contrasting traits of a day.

The lord wondered how different his life would seem if the sun shone in the forest. He wondered if anything would change.

He stood and waited for Timpani, all of his senses locked and loaded. He couldn't wait to hear her voice and look into the luminosity of her emerald-colored eyes.

Blumiere knew he wouldn't have to wait long and when he saw Timpani stride in the meadow his breath caught. Her blue dress fluttered in the soft night breeze and the sight of her unlocked something long hidden in him. Her hair lifted from her shoulders, the wind tousling and shaping it. The moon lay its rays like fingers on her skin.

"Timpani…" Lord Blumire trailed off, so taken by her that he felt his words would mar her presence. She continued to walk over and her expression glowed as she saw him.

"Blumiere, you're here!" she said, her voice uplifting. He looked at her as she came to a stop in front of him and before he could react against it his arms sought and drew her body against his own. She didn't try to pull away from his touch and she threw her arms around him as well, a smile on her face. It made him feel light, almost enough to rise into the air, and he let the feeling augment and take him.

A tingle started in Blumiere and it jolted him back to reality as he realized what he had done. With a quick motion he let go of her and stepped back, clearing his throat. He tried to regain his posture of impassivity. "Y-yes, I'm glad you came."

"Oh Blumiere, of course I'd come. I wouldn't brush you off like that," Timpani said, not at all bothered by the abrupt way he ended the embrace and Blumiere could hear a small embarrassed tone in her voice.

She took his arm and led him to the oak tree. "I couldn't wait for tonight and I actually started writing down questions to ask you this afternoon."

"Really?" He raised his eyebrows and she nodded as they sat in the grass, backs leaning against the thick tree trunk.

"Yes, but then I figured that would seem too weird so I just decided to go along with the conversation and see what would come."

"You amuse me, Timpani. If I didn't know better I'd say you're nervous," Blumiere said without a beat and Timpani grinned.

"Do I appear nervous now?"

"No," he said after a moment of looking in her eyes, noting the calm and casual personality she upheld, "you don't. In fact you appear as though you have something to say."

"I do, so let's talk." She looked at him and Blumiere nodded, that smile coming to him again.

"You still don't feel ashamed that you sneaked out tonight to meet with me in this meadow?" he asked.

"No, because I know you did the same thing in order to come here. I don't feel alone in this then."

Blumiere felt he had to agree with her.

"The night feels wonderful, right?" Timpani asked, lounging back, closing her eyes.

"Yes." Lord Blumiere looked up, seeing the stars that his mother once explained to him when he was just a boy. She told him that the stars held the spirits of his ancestors who never failed to watch over him. They saw his life in ways that he couldn't. The clouds covered the sky day and night in the forest, no stars or sun shone through them. He asked his mother how they could watch him if the clouds covered their view and she responded that they can see through any and everything. Now his mother lived up behind the clouds too.

"Blumiere? What's wrong? I haven't offended you, have I?" Timpani asked and he looked at her.

"This… I can never experience it back in my home. The sun, the stars, the moon." _You, _his mind added but Blumiere ignored it for the time being.

"Why not? Do your parents forbid you to leave your home?"

_Now my father does._ "No. The clouds cover the sky day and night in the forest where I live no matter the time. It's dismal and cold but it's home," he said. "There's no clarity to life like there is here in your world. There's just darkness where I live. It's all I can remember since I first opened my eyes and saw everything."

"That's horrible!" Her green eyes widened and Blumiere looked at her. "To live a life where you only saw darkness and felt cold... I could never get used to it and I can't even imagine it. How do you stand it, Blumiere?"

"Timpani, you're too innocent to live in my world." Blumiere closed his eyes, leaning against the tree trunk, feeling a startling amount of emotion rise in him. This intruding emotion, something he hadn't felt since he was a young child, affected him deeper than he thought it would. Then her hand alighted on his with a touch as light as the wind. He opened his eyes to look at Timpani.

"My innocence doesn't matter." Seriousness entered her eyes and her smile faded. He knew she meant what she said.

Blumiere had the sudden urge to pull her next to him, to close his eyes and breathe in her alluring and life-bringing scent. However he pushed that desire away and looked at the sky, the clearness of it allowing hundreds of stars to twinkle unhindered.

"Blumiere? Could we do this again tomorrow night?" she asked after a moment, breaking him from his thoughts, and he looked at her with a nod.

"Yes, I would like that."

Timpani smiled. "So why do you want to find out more about me anyway?"

"I should ask the same to you, Timpani." He felt a smile curling at the fringes of his lips and he let it linger. "I want to find out more because I wish not to feel so ignorant of the Tribe of Ancients."

"Same here. I don't want to think of your kind as just cold and callous because I can see that they're far from that."

"What do you mean? Not one member of my tribe acts like me. I'm the outcast of my family, the black sheep of the herd if you will."

"Well, I don't think all of the people in your tribe hate us. I think there more like you exist in that gloom and doom forest you live in, Blumiere."

Her expression for the forest in which he lived made a laugh burst from him and he felt just as surprised as Timpani when he quelled it.

"You laughed." Her voice sounded breathy with awe.

"I have." A tingle spread through him again, making him place a hand on his mouth, his eyes widening.

"Could that mean you're already changing?"

Her question made him back up and think. _Could that happen? Could I change? Does this world of light and supposed happiness affect me already?_

"What do you think?"

Timpani blinked as he fired the question at her. "Yes. I do feel that you've changed. You smile when you come here and I know you don't smile when you're back home. I like your smile, Blumiere."

The human girl's words made him feel embarrassed and he fixed his monocle, a habit he created when he had nothing to say.

They fell silent as they sat, enjoying each others' companionship, letting the peaceful night wind speak words in their ears. Blumiere felt ready to ask Timpani a question about what she planned to do in her future but he had to hold back a flinch as her head rested on his shoulder.

He felt shocked to say the least. He would have never expected Timpani to touch him for a prolonged period of time. As he shifted his gaze he saw that she didn't move, her breathing soft and slow. He blinked a few times, unable to comprehend why she decided to lay her head on him until he caught sight of her face. A serene and gentle peace existed in her face and a small smile lingered on her lips.

_She...has fallen asleep? __he thought_ and this made him smile again. Timpani moved, a soft exhale coming from her in her sleep, and nestled closer to his arm. A feeling entered Blumiere's heart that he never felt before: protection. He wanted to protect her vulnerability now as he watched her sleep, letting go of any walls she had sustained during their conversation to him, if any.

Blumiere realized that he didn't mind Timpani falling asleep on him without warning. A yawn came from him and he realized that he would fall asleep as well if he didn't get up and move.

He didn't want to leave the meadow. He wanted to stay here with the human girl all night. It shocked him to find that his darker rational side had left him. It didn't cry out in objection of his decisions anymore.

He sighed and drew her into his arms, noting how perfect her body fit against his and hoisted her into his arms. He stood and began the walk to Timpani's house. Blumiere didn't question why he wanted to be gentle with Timpani. A glow started in him as she snuggled in his chest without waking, her hands wrapping around him.

He walked down the hill, making sure not to disturb Timpani's sleep. He felt reluctant to part with her again, but he knew that they had stayed at the meadow for far too long. Blumiere didn't want her to get in trouble if her parents noticed her missing and he didn't want to get caught either if he wasted too much time away from the castle.

Once he reached Timpani's house he climbed through her window and entered her room.

The yellow, a stark contrast, glowed despite the gloom and the moonlight shone on the middle dresser, giving Blumiere some light to see. He brought Timpani to her bed and placed her into it, her hands falling to her sides.

The lord took the covers and drew them over her, making sure he tucked her in, and left her room with one last lingering look at her still form. She snuggled in bed, her head resting on the pillow as she sighed.

_Timpani, why do you unlock these feelings of longing and need in me?_


	4. Secrets Unfold

A Love to Span the Decades

**Disclaimer: "..."**

Chapter Four: Secrets Unfold

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For the rest of the week Timpani and Blumiere met at night in the meadow, becoming closer and closer to one another. Blumiere couldn't help but feel light feelings as he came to visit her. The simple human girl seemed to make him forget all woes. Everything held a certain magic to the dark lord whenever he could sit alone with Timpani. The soft golden skin of her arm and her dancing eyes enticed him.

As they sat together in the meadow, the moonlight coursing through Blumiere's veins, he felt the need to ask a question. One that had existed in his mind since Timpani and he met.

"Timpani, I want to know. Why does happiness overrule all other emotions? What's so special about it?"

She looked at him, a solemn expression on her pretty face. "Happiness, the embodiment of all emotions, Blumiere, has a special quality that can't match anything else. You can't feel sadness if you don't have happiness. Most of the time people wouldn't have the ability to compare emotions without it.

"Well, I know what anger and sadness feel like. What could happiness feel like, Timpani?"

"Like hope. It feels like sunshine and love." She stood and looked at the moon and stars. "Happiness is the greatest feeling one can experience. You haven't felt it yet, have you, Blumiere."

Her words felt like a sting to the dark lord even if her voice sounded light and unopposed.

"No. I haven't," Blumiere said and Timpani sighed. She looked at him then gasped and touched a black bruise on his arm. Her touch sent shockwaves through his skin. He blinked and saw her touch the bruise.

"Where'd you get this?" She looked at him, surprise in her eyes.

"I..." Blumiere knew he had to tell her the truth. Every time he went to visit Timpani she noticed a bruise here and there on his skin that he waved off as unimportant. He couldn't keep telling her that he fell and hit his dresser every time she asked. Blumiere hated lying to her.

"My father abuses me, Timpani. I displease him everyday I live."

"What!?" Timpani gasped. "How could he do such a thing to you? You're his son!"

"And the next in line for attaining the throne for the Tribe of Darkness." Blumiere heard a dark bitter tone in his voice. "It doesn't matter. Ever since my mother died he became this way. He doubts himself and he doubts my right to rule. He wants power so he can get over the sad things that happened to him. He never had a mother of his own and his father abused to him. No wonder he hits me and screams at me. He's passing it down in the family. He calls me inadequate and throws me about like a limp dishrag just to make himself stronger. I sometimes just want to run away and escape him and my fate."

"Oh Blumiere." Timpani's eyes darkened with sadness. "I didn't know you're life was so involved."

"Yes, Timpani. That's why I can't do the things you can do. I have to act lord-like and try to survive the next day. However," he said and looked at her, "coming here to see you makes it much easier for me to cope."

The two of them didn't say a word after that, their eyes trained to the sky and stars above. The Timpani turned to him and her eyes began to glow.

"You know, Blumiere. I think coming here has done you good."

"How so?"

"You seem carefree and different when you sit here with me. Maybe the sun has finally touched you."

"I don't think so. I don't feel any different than I've had."

Timpani had a smile on her face. "You will, one day."

"How can you feel so sure?" He raised an eyebrow at her in question.

"I just do." Her smile didn't fade.

In this moment Blumiere had to steel himself from giving a sigh. A strange feeling developed in him and it confused him. The dark and cold side to him had all but vanished. However, now, it lashed at him with fervency, screaming for him to go back home and ditch Timpani. He ignored it as he had, feeling something in him change.

"Timpani? What do you think of me?" he asked, to cover the silence. Timpani's brow furrowed as she began to think.

"I think you're a stubborn, tortured, pessimistic soul. Someone who's searching for something to compete him," she said. Her words held no sting or burr. They conveyed truth and innocence. Blumiere still felt annoyed by this, despite himself.

"What do you think of me, Blumiere?" she asked and her soft voice melted any thoughts in his head. He knew he had to be careful here. One wrong word said and it could ruin everything.

"Um," he floundered, trying to come up with something. "I think you're optimistic, open, and free."

She giggled and dark lord hoped he hadn't sounded stupid to her.

"Why, those are the exact opposites of the words I used to describe you," she said and he flinched as he realized what she meant. Then he too gave a chuckle and one again Timpani gazed at him, a happy and studious look on her face. It seemed that whenever Blumiere laughed she looked at him as one might look at a child who first speaks. He felt embarrassed and fixed his monocle.

"Why do you think I'm tortured, Timpani?" he asked and Timpani's smile faded.

"You did tell me your father abuses you and nothing seems to go right for you. I can just imagine how you live life from day to day. Unable to enjoy yourself, unable to live a life like the people do down here. You have to stay rigid while I can feel free to do what I please. I know you won't like me if I say this but..." She hesitated and her gaze dropped.

"Tell me, Timpani," Blumiere said, raising her chin with his finger. Her eyes widened at his touch but she didn't move or try to slap his hand away.

She looked into his eyes. "I think you'd have a better life down here without your father and everything else."

Her words reverberated in the air and Blumiere felt struck by them. He gazed at the simple human girl he spent nights with in the meadow and he saw someone different. He saw a young woman who spoke the truth and wanted peace. He saw someone who wanted to help others and change their lives. Something crumbled in him and his gaze lowered this time. He sighed.

"I'm sorry," Timpani said, her tone demurred and Blumiere shook his head.

"Don't worry about it. I have to go," he said and stood, leaving Timpani alone to watch him leave. She didn't even stop him with a word or a movement.

* * *

Sometimes King Gaharkus quirked an eyebrow as he saw Lord Blumiere walk about, oblivious of Dimentio. Due to this the king of the Tribe of Darkness instructed the jester to keep a closer eye on the lord. He felt suspicious of his son.

However Lord Blumiere didn't care about it all. Visiting Timpani at nights, to talk to her and just sit in her presence became his main priority. He wanted to learn more about her world and life. He almost felt obsessed by it.

It intrigued Blumiere about how the human's life differed from his own. At nights he's look at himself in the mirror and see a robe-clad, pale, and moody royal who disgraced his father. A shadow in the midst of darkness. An inquirer of a new life. Blumiere knew he should shun the very ground he walked for living in two worlds. He felt his whole body tingle if he considered the Tribe of Ancients' way of life as comfortable or normal.

_How did this happen? _he asked himself as he practiced dark magic with Dimentio again. _How have I grown so accustomed to talking and staying in the presence of a human?_

"Focus!" Dimentio snapped his fingers in front of Blumiere's face. The lord flinched and his eyes focused on the jester again. Timpani had become a part of his thoughts more than once a day. He reveled in every notion he had of her.

Dimentio smirked, chortling. "If I didn't think you more of a fool than most I'd say something's occupying your mind. Inquiring minds wish to know, lordling."

"It's not important," Blumiere said, feeling defensive. The master of dimensions arched a brow but said nothing. They commenced their lesson, which once again failed. The lord couldn't focus and make the purple matter shoot out from the wand. It never seemed to work anymore and this confused and worried the jester more than Blumiere.

"Why won't this work?" Dimentio asked aloud as he paced the room, glaring at the wand he snatched from the lord. He turned to face Blumiere. "You're reciting the words, right?"

"Every time," Blumiere said with a roll of his eyes. "It gets old too fast."

"Curb your sassy tongue now. Don't think your lessons have ended because my magic doesn't work." The jester's mismatched eyes glowed. "Perhaps we need to try a different means of unleashing magic, one that I'm familiar with, Blumiere. But that's for later. For now, try my original tactic in your room."

As Blumiere headed to his room with the flimsy magic rod in his hand he wondered why his father set him up for these pointless lessons with Dimentio. Neither of them got anywhere and time just went down the drain.

"How did the lesson go, Blumiere?" King Gaharkus asked as his son passed him. The lord shrugged.

"It went okay. Dimentio wants me to practice further in my room."

"I want you to practice what Dimentio tells you to every day without fail, you hear me?"

"Yes father." The lord continued to walk, steeling himself back from lashing with a disastrous reply instead. His mind became preoccupied with thoughts of tonight, when he could see Timpani again. He had grown a curiosity for her soft nature and her knowing look. He wanted to know everything and anything he could about her. If he allowed himself to think in a different way he'd say he enjoyed the human's company.

As Blumiere headed to his room he bumped into someone, a butler, and felt ready to say a snide remark. He realized the butler was Terron, the only friend the lord had in this castle when the man bowed twice, fear etched on his face. The lord's annoyance faded and he gave a nod.

"My apologies, my Lord Blumiere. I seem to have not looked where I'm going." He bowed again but the dark lord waved it away, shaking his head.

"Don't worry about it, Terron. How have you been? We haven't spoken in a while."

"I've felt fine." His eyes widened as if he just realized something. "Come with me, my lord. I have to talk to you on pressing terms." Terron looked nervous as he said this, his gaze flitting about him. "That jester has the ears of a bat at times."

"Pressing terms?" The lord couldn't help swallowing somewhat at this news as he followed his friend. Perhaps King Gaharkus told Terron something, a secret.

They entered Blumiere's room and Terron looked around again before sighing and sitting on the bed. He mopped his forehead with a shaky hand. "I know I shouldn't do this but you're the only person I can confide in with this information."

"What's this about, Terron?"

"Well, I've heard rumors flying about here. Crazy stuff I tell you. Ah..." The butler gave a pause as a creak sounded into the hallway outside the room. He continued, "I heard that you've consorted with a human girl for at least a few months now and how you come and go in the castle with a carefree grin on your face. Such twisted stuff hasn't exited the forest yet but I just have to know. Do you consort with a human from the Tribe of Ancients?"

Blumiere held back a flinch. _Damn! Rumors already fly in this castle? No doubt that's why my father seems uptight all the time. That Dimentio must have started this! How could I have dropped my guard around him? He probably thought these rumors would help break me. But...they aren't rumors. They're the truth._

"My lord? You look white in the face," Terron said in a tentative voice. Blumiere shook himself from his thoughts, knowing his cover might blow if he didn't speak with passiveness.

"Don't worry about me. These rumors have nothing to do with me. They're lies conjured to make me into a better lord. People want me to toughen up and prove myself, my father in particular."

This rang true as well. For so long the people of the Tribe of Darkness have wondered where Blumiere's strange quiet and observing personality came from in the royal. King Gaharkus wanted his son to show some strength, something Blumiere had little of to begin with. However that didn't contend with how Dimentio decided to let all of the lord's darkest secrets out and in such an inconspicuous way as well. The lord knew consulting the jester about the rumors would just increase the entertainer's bravado and confidence.

"I thought so. I could never think of you spending time with a filthy human. Relief just runs through me right now, my lord. I hoped those rumors would ring false to your ears." Terron looked pleased now.

_But that means I have to be even more careful when I sneak out to visit Timpani,_ Blumiere thought, feeling his gut clench at the thought of getting her in trouble. In a way he cared about her and he didn't want her to get hurt.

"Thank you for telling me this, Terron, my friend," he said and the butler stood from the bed.

"Anything to help you along, my lord. Thank you for hearing me out. It seems no one can do that for me anymore. I must head out now and help Annie with the cooking. But if you need anything..." The butler trailed off as another creak sounded.

"Can't you stay for a little and chat? I haven't seen you in some time," Blumiere said.

"I wish I could, my lord. Not now though, too many wandering ears may twist our conversation. Tomorrow I shall try to get to you so we can catch up. I just needed to speak to you about the rumor today. Good day, my lord," Terron said and Blumiere knew he had no choice but to let the butler leave. He knew Terron always had a fear of punishment and reprimands.

"I see. I shall expect you tomorrow then, Terron. Good day."

The butler left and Blumiere gave a huff, pacing his room. He still held the wand Dimentio handed to him and he considered breaking it over his knee. However that wouldn't put him in good terms with his father, who he wanted to try and please while he seemed somewhat placid. He tried the magic and this time it worked, a small puff of purple emanating from the blue jewel.

"Huh." Blumiere had to cock his head. He wondered why the wand worked sometimes and why it didn't. "Stupid thing." He threw it on his bed and continued to pace, thinking of a plan to escape incognito to Timpani tonight. Then a thought came to him on what he could do and a smile stretched his lips. _Yeah...that's what I'll do._

As he headed out his room that night and headed down the hall he heard soft footsteps behind him and his teeth clenched. Of course Dimentio wouldn't have the courtesy to leave him alone at night. He whirled around and began to piece together something snippy. Then he realized a maid stood behind him, an inquisitive look on her face.

"My lord?" She came closer. "Where are you going on this dark night, if I may ask."

"To the Aunt's House," he said the lie in a fluid whisper, not wanting anyone to wake up and hear him. "I have to ask them a few things for tomorrow. King Gaharkus instructed me to go."

"If it's by the king's orders then by all means continue. I'm sorry for interrogating you." She bowed her head and Blumiere continued on, pass the pillared hall, past the giant foyer, all the way to the front doors. The guards at the door raised their eyebrows at Blumiere and halted him. The lord suspected that everyone had heard the rumors and he had to keep a cold impassive face._ No doubt they believed that sniveling Dimentio's rumors as well._

"Where do you head to, Lord Blumiere, at this uncanny hour?" they chorused, their voices too loud for Blumiere's nerves.

"To the Aunt's House. I have to ask Nyxie a question regarding my duties King Gaharkus instructed for me tomorrow. He told me to go to her tonight."

"Right now? That's odd." One guard scratched his head. "Well if the king allows you then I can't bar you from going. Proceed, my lord." The guards stepped away and allowed Blumiere to open the door and leave. His heart ceased its racing as soon as the Aunt's House came into view. He expected the guards to go wake his father and inquire him about this outing to see Nyxie. That would ruin everything.

The lord had to chuckle as a thought occurred to him. Sometimes the maids and guards of the Tribe of Darkness seemed so gullible. A crying shame.

Blumiere felt the strange urge to look behind him and make sure no wily jester walked behind him with a smirk ready. He knew he had to act confident and sure. He knocked on the door and a maid met with him.

"Yes my lord? Do you need something from the aunts?" she asked and he nodded.

"I need to speak with Aunt Nyxie. She's still awake, right?"

"Awake as ever, my dear nephew." Aunt Nyxie sauntered into the room at that moment, her black hair a frizzy bush. "Don't speak any more, just come with me."

Blumiere rolled his eyes and followed his aunt, hoping the other women wouldn't join in with them. The other aunts, Nightfire and Darkmoon, loved to chit-chat and they wouldn't let Blumiere leave until sunup. He couldn't let that happen.

"Aunt Nyxie? Could I speak to you alone without Nightfire and Darkmoon overhearing?" he asked and Aunt Nyxie snorted.

"Oh those two sleep like dead logs. Heehe! Because log's don't breathe and when they're dead, they feel nothing!" she giggled and the dark lord sighed. At least that sounded like good news.

"Where's your jester friend? You know, the one who came here with you last time. Did he come with you too?" Aunt Nixie sounded curious as she gazed about him.

"I didn't bring him with me. He wanted to sleep."

"Oh, well that's fine." They entered the expansive living room and then the older woman's eyes narrowed. "Now what brings my nephew to me at this hour of the night?"

"Well." Blumiere swallowed, trying to think of a conversation starter. He felt awkward around his ditsy and carefree aunts, Aunt Nyxie in particular. She could have a short temper if things went wrong or, in her case, made some kind of sense. "When's the next tribe ritual? I know you always keep tabs on that."

"In a few weeks time. Why ask?"

"Dimentio wanted to know because he felt he might entertain you and the other aunts at the ritual."

"Oh he's such a doll. We'd love for him to entertain us at the ritual. It's a sore bore without any kind of amusement. That's Dimentio's job anyway, right? To entertain?" She giggled again and Blumiere hoped for some more time to pass. He left an hour earlier than he usually did to head to the meadow, hoping this ruse would work. Once he left the Aunt's House at the right time he'd head straight to the meadow.

"Oh good, then I might as well tell him that when I head back to the castle," he said, feeling calm settle over him. He knew nothing drastic would happen now.

"Oh don't leave yet, my nephew. Have some biscuits and some tea," she said, a beseeching look in her eyes. Blumiere didn't argue as she headed into the kitchen to whip up some food and drink. All the dark lord had to do now was bide his time and wait.

* * *

"What happened, Blumiere? I thought for a moment you wouldn't come tonight." Timpani sounded worried as Blumiere strode into the meadow. She dashed over to him and looked him over with a concerned eye. "He didn't abuse you tonight, did he?"

"No, not today. He seemed calm today, if that seems possible."

"You didn't get in trouble for coming here, did you?"

"No, I just had to ask my aunt a few things. She sure loves to talk, though. That's why I'm late."

Relief shone in Timpani's eyes, causing Blumiere to wonder what she thought could have happened to him. They settled together under the oak tree as they always did and looked at the stars.

Then Timpani's eyes glowed and her vision shot to star shooting across the sky. "Quick Blumiere! Make a wish while the moment lasts!" she said, sounding fervid.

_A wish? _Blumiere thought, feeling himself balk. He never wished for anything. In his world if he wanted something he received it at a small price. Now Timpani wanted him to wish for something? It all confused Blumiere, but he did what she asked after a moment of thought. The wish surprised him as much as it would surprise her if he said it out loud.

_I wish to stay by your side forever, Timpani._

* * *

**_A/N: Whew! It's been a while since I updated this story. I've been busy with my other fanfic Smash Wars, which people are beginning to like. Then I saw some people review this story and I won't lie, it made me scratch my head. :D So I decided to update with another chapter and also do a complete revision of the other chapters. Thanks for reviewing and staying up to date with this story._**

**_A/N 2: Do you guys want me to continue this story? I've been thinking about discontinuing it. Let me know with a review. Thanks. :)_**


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